"They called and told me they are going to start making it again and it should be on store shelves by the end of the month," Brunsman said in May.

Consumer representatives for Faribault, based in Faribault, Minn., confirmed that the sauce is in production. Instead of the little cans it used to come in, however, it's in 15-ounce cans, with a suggested retail price of between $2.39 and $2.59 when not on sale. It was supposed to be shipped to distributors at the end of May, the company reps said, but it's been difficult to find in Springfield.

Woods found some in two Shop'n Saves: on Wabash Avenue and on North Grand Avenue.

"I've been trying all the Shop 'n Saves," she said. "They got it on and off. I bought three and sent some to my daughter in North Carolina. Then I bought some more at the other store, but they keep running out."

I bought a can last week at the Shop 'n Save on North Grand Avenue for $1.89.

It's near the canned chili.

'Gerry Kettler, consumer affairs director for Niemann Foods, said Cub Foods and County Market are supposed to receive the sauce July 2 and predicted it will be in those Springfield stores a week or so after that.

'Coney Island sauce is a mildly spiced brew studded with ground beef. Traditionally, it's put on hot dogs to make coney dogs. The late Joe DeFrates started Chilli Man Chili in the early 1950s in Springfield. It' s now manufactured by Faribault Foods and is sold by the can in grocery stores, wrapped in its iconic black label.

Woods is afraid she won' t be able to find enough of the Chilli Man coney sauce to use for her chili mac.

"There's none other like it," she said. "I used to buy it by the case"

Food editor Kathryn Rem can be reached at 788-1520 or kathryn.rem@sj-r.com.